Hey guys, I’m back at the site watching talented stone masons work their magic on an authentic French stone facade. We’re in Montecito, California, and what you’re seeing here is something very special. My clients had a clear vision—they wanted their brand-new home to have an authentic stone house look and feel to it. Something you might see in a small rural hamlet in France.
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Listen as I walk you through all that was going on at this site visit while viewing the photo, below.
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“Hey guys, I’m still here on the scene with the stone masons as they start to install this authentic stone facade. We’re here in Montecito California and the little stone house initially was designed, I had local Santa Barbara sandstone in mind for the stone cladding of the building.
But the clients were very particular… with a dream of having it look- very French. So they actually imported flagstone, this flagstone from France as well as antique roof tiles. So, I’m gonna be extremely interested, it’s clearly you know becoming a beautiful project already, and I wanted to share this photo because the stone masons are creeping up on this arched opening.
This is the pedestrian entry to the garage, from the courtyard… and it’s a pretty complicated arched, you know it’s a chamfered opening and there will be an arched door you know… after this thick opening of stone.
So thought I would show you this shot… it wasn’t easy getting it. Rocks were, rock chips were flying as they were using saws and chipping stone with chisels and it was quite fun. But I was able to kind of weasel my way close enough to capture this shot- and thought you would enjoy it.
Please come back often- I’m showcasing more and more photos of this project. It’s a favorite client and favorite project of mine- and as I have time, I will upload more photos. Thanks for spending time on the site”—Jeff Doubet, August 25, 2025
Montecito Couple Import Stone from France
The couple were determined to achieve their goal of creating an authentic French home, so they imported stone from France! This beautiful buff and cream-colored flagstone came directly from France. They also acquired antique terracotta clay roof tiles from France. All in all, they had dozens of pallets of raw building materials shipped to their project site.
Photography of Stone Masons in Montecito, CA
In this shot, the stone masons are working their way up to a chamfered arched opening—the charming pedestrian entry accessed from the front courtyard of the property.
The standalone two car garage was designed to have a look and feel of a guest house from several vantage points on the lot.
Well, I can tell you stone work is full contact activity. I had to dodge flying rock chips just to capture this shot.
Each day, the stone masons cut, chisel and place randomly sized square and rectangular pieces of French flagstone. They then follow up this work with an overgrout process in between the stones.
The techniques the stone masons are using here produce an instant aged and historic look to this facade.
